More Than Friendship
by Dolphingirl32173
Summary: Damon rescues Elena from an unknown vampire after her car crash. Figuring she wants to get away from Stefan, he takes her with him to see Bree in Georgia. A lucid dream leaves him wondering if meeting Elena might be more than mere coincidence. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE!
1. Georgia

More than Friendship  
DG32173

Sarah: I don't have anything to say, really. I hope you enjoy the story.

_**DISCLAIMER**_  
**(Checks email)** nope, nothing signing the series over to me. So I only own what I write.

_**WARNINGS**_  
Rated M for a reason. Alternate universe. Damon's viewpoint.

_**SUMMARY**_  
Damon rescues Elena from an unknown vampire after her car crash. Figuring she wants to get away from Stefan, he takes her with him to see Bree in Georgia. A lucid dream leaves him wondering if meeting Elena might be more than mere coincidence. After she helps him open the tomb only to discover that Katherine was never there, he wonders if maybe he should start looking at what's right in front of him rather than hanging onto the past. _**Damon/Elena**_

* * *

Chapter 1  
Georgia

As I head towards where my car is parked, I hear a car crash. I start running towards it, knowing that there will be at least one person in it. One is plenty for the hunger I am feeling. I freeze when I see the car. It's Elena's car. My hunger vanishes in an instant. Then I see the person she hit start fixing their broken bones and I _know_ it's a vampire. As they start walking towards her I rush forward. They see me just as they reach her car. They can sense how powerful I am and take off. I kneel next to her car and she shrieks, turning away, thinking I'm the vampire she hit. "How you doing in there?" I ask her.

"Damon?" she asks, her voice laced with pain.

"You're stuck," I mutter, standing up. I use my strength to lift the car up some as I use my foot to stretch the frame enough for me to get her out.

"It's my seatbelt," she cries. "I can't … I don't know …"

"Shh, shh, shh," I say softly, kneeling back down. "I'm going to get you out of here. I want you to put your hands on the roof." She obeys without hesitation. "Just like that. Ready?' I ask, grabbing the contraption holding her belt. "One, two, three." I rip it from the car, freeing her to tumble down onto the roof. "Gotcha," I say, gently pulling her out of the car and into my arms. I walk a few steps away from the car. "Are you okay? Can you stand?" I ask her. "Is anything broken?" She shakes her head and I gently lower her feet to the ground. Just as I release her a little to test her strength, she collapses. I quickly catch her. "Woah. You are fading fast, Elena," I say, noticing she is quickly losing consciousness "Elena, look at me." I gently take her chin with one hand while the other arm holds her upright. "Focus. Look at me."

She opens her eyes. "I look like her," she says softly, tears in her voice and eyes.

"What?" I breathe, but she faints. I gently carry her to the ground. I look around, trying to figure out what to do with her. I had decided that I would head down to Georgia and talk to Bree to see if there was another way into the tomb. "Upsy daisy," I say, lifting her into my arms as I decide to take her with me.

I carry her away from her crashed car back to my Camaro, taking my time by walking at human speed. My car isn't far and I like the feel of her in my arms. I quickly check her for broken bones, sighing in relief when I find none. I put her in the passenger seat of my car and buckle her in. I zip around the front of the car and climb in the driver's seat. I start the car and head back to where her car is wrecked, knowing I can't just leave it in the middle of the road. I get out and drag her car completely off the road.

I then get back into my car and start driving for Georgia, knowing that it will be some time before Elena wakes back up.

Several hours later

We are almost to Atlanta when Elena finally shows signs of waking up. I turn off the radio and watch her from the corner of my eye. She looks around then turns towards me. I turn my head and grin at her. "Morning," I say.

"Where are we?" she asks.

"In Georgia," I drawl.

She thinks about this quietly for a few miles. "Why are we in Georgia?" she asks finally. That is _not_ what I expected her to say.

"Well, you were there, all damsel-in-distress. I saved you, you fainted. I figured that since you were not still at the boarding house with my brother, he did something to upset you. I figured that you might need to get away from your problems for a while, and I happened to be planning a road trip," I tell her.

"And you kidnapped me so you could have a companion?" she asks.

"More or less," I tell her.

She shrugs. "You were right about needing to get away from my problems," she says softly.

"I'm surprised you're not putting up a fight," I comment.

"I'm saving the next fight for your brother," she retorts darkly.

"Oh ho, he must have screwed up big time," I chuckle. "Care to talk about it?"

She's silent for several miles on that one, obviously debating whether she really wants to talk about her troubles with me. "He never told me I look like her," she says finally.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I don't need to ask who she's talking about. "Now that's interesting. I thought he would have told you that right after he told you our secret." I glance at her. "I didn't tell you either," I remind her.

"You're not the one who was dating me," she replies. "I don't care _what_ his reasons were. I can't stand being lied to about something that big. No matter what his reasons are, I'm breaking up with him." At that moment, her phone rings in my back pocket. She looks at me in surprise. "That's my phone," she snaps.

I pull her phone out and glance at caller ID. "It's my brother," I tell her, holding it towards her. She shakes her head. I turn it on. "Elena's phone," I answer, driving with one hand.

"_Where is she? Why do you have her phone?"_ he demands. _"Is she okay?"_

"Elena? She's fine," I say. "She's right here."

"_Let me talk to her."_

I hold the phone towards her. "He wants to talk to you," I tell her.

"No," she says softly.

I know my brother heard _that._ I place her phone back against my ear. "Yeah, I don't think she wants to talk to you," I tell him.

"_I swear to God, Damon, if you hurt her …,"_ he starts.

"You have a good day. Bye now," I say, hanging up.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"A little place outside of Atlanta," I tell her. "We're almost there."

She nods and leans back against the seat. "How often did he look at me and see her? How many times did he kiss me and think of her?" she whispers.

"It _is_ a little creepy," I agree, feeling bad for her. I honestly thought that Stefan would have told her that she looks exactly like Katherine when he told her that we are vampires. But he decided to keep it from her, so it's his loss. About half an hour later, I pull into the parking lot outside Bree's Bar.

"A bar?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me. "I'm not legal."

"It's owned by someone I know," I tell her, getting out. She follows my lead and I lock my car. "She won't care."

I lead her inside and see Bree scrubbing the counter. I rub my hands together as she looks at me. "No. No, it can't be," she says. I grin at her. "Damon?" she asks, hopping over the counter. "My honey-pie," she says, before pulling me in for a kiss. I can practically _feel_ the waves of jealousy emanating from Elena, though I don't know _why_ she would be jealous. Finally, Bree pulls away with a grin on her face. She hops back behind the counter and picks up a bottle of bourbon. She still remembers my favorite drink. "Listen up, everybody!" she calls out. "Here's to the man that broke my heart," she starts, pouring the whisky into five shot glasses, "crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness." She sets a shot glass in front of each of us. "Drink up." I tilt my head back and let the alcohol burn its way down my throat. I glance over and am surprised to see that Elena had done the same thing. "So, how'd he rope you in?" Bree asks Elena.

"I'm not roped in," she starts.

"Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride," Bree tells her.

Elena raises an eyebrow. "Okay. So, how did you two meet?" she asks.

"College," Bree says with a chuckle.

Elena looks at me, disbelief written clearly on her face. "You went to college?" she asks with a smirk.

"I been on a college campus, yes," I tell her, taking another shot of bourbon.

"About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet young freshman, I met this beautiful man," Bree says, glancing at me, "and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret. Made me love him even more, cause you see I had a little secret of my own at that time I was dying to share with somebody."

I lean over to Elena. "She's a witch," I whisper to her.

Elena looks at Bree in surprise. "Changed my world," Bree says.

"I rocked your world," I correct her.

Bree chuckles. "He is good in the sack, isn't he?" she asks Elena. Elena blushes and I don't bother to tell Bree that she has my relationship with Elena all wrong. "But mostly, he's just a walk-away Joe," she finishes, drinking her shot. "So, what is it that you want?" Bree asks me.

I glance over at Elena and she gets the hint. "I'm going to call Jenna," she says, heading outside to call her aunt.

Bree hops back over the bar and follows me to a table away from the other people in the bar. "I need a way of getting in the tomb," I tell her softly.

"I told you the way," she replies.

"Come on, there's got to be another way," I say.

"After all these years, it's still only Katherine," she says. I shrug. "How do you know she's still alive?"

"Well, you help me get into that tomb and we'll find out," I tell her.

"I already did, twenty years ago, remember?" she says. "Three easy steps: comet, crystal, spell."

"There's a little problem with number two," I growl. "I don't _have_ the crystal.

"That's it, Damon," she says. "There is no other way. It's Emily's spell."

"What about new spell, new crystal, that overrides Emily's spell?" I ask with a smirk.

"It doesn't work that way, baby. Emily's spell is absolute. You can't get into that tomb."

I swallow hard. I get up and turn to the window, watching as Elena starts to come in only to pull out her phone, look at it, and scowl ferociously. I focus my hearing on her and listen in as she answers it.

"_Elena, is that you?"_ my brother asks.

"I'm here.'

"_Where are you?"_

"You lied."

"_Not until I explain, please."_

"So, you didn't lie?"

"_Just tell me where you are so that I can come get you."_

"How am I connected to Katherine, Stefan?"

"_I honestly don't know."_

She scoffs. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"_It's the truth. Listen…,"_ he starts. But she hangs up on him.

I rush outside to stand behind her. She turns. "You okay?" I ask.

She closes her eyes. "No."

I put an arm around her shoulder and lead her back inside. We return to our seats at the bar and I order us burgers and fries. As soon as Bree puts the plates in front of us, Elena takes the top off her burger. "Let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine. Does that make me part vampire?" she asks me.

"Vampires can't procreate. But we love to try," I tell her with a smirk. She just gives me a look. "No. If you were related, it would mean Katherine had a child _before_ she was turned," I tell her, eating a fry.

"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?" she asks.

"Like I said, it's kinda creepy, if you ask me." I glance at her plate and see that she had taken the pickles off her burger. "Come on. You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" I ask, taking her pickles.

"How can you even eat if technically you're supposed to be …?" she starts.

I glance around. "Dead?" I whisper. "Come on, it's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally," I say, taking a bite of a fry.

She chuckles. She opens her mouth to say something when Bree walks over with my beer. "Here you go," she says, handing it to me.

"Thank you," I say, taking it.

Elena looks at it for a second. "I'll have one, too," she says suddenly.

"Hmm?" I murmur, looking at her in surprise.

"I used to drink a lot before my parents died," she says softly as Bree hands her a beer as well. "I figured I might as well drink while we're away from adult supervision."

I hold my beer towards her and she clinks hers against mine before taking a long swallow.

Several hours later

Quite a few of Bree's regular customers, Elena, Bree, and I are on our third round of bourbon shots races, though Elena and I have been drinking all afternoon. "Ready?" Bree says, holding her glass in her hands. "Go!"

We all tilt our heads back to drink the shot as fast as possible. Elena's glass hits the counter first, for the third time in a row. Elena does a little dance. "That's three," she gloats, turning to me. "You need a bib," she teases.

"Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume my alcohol," I tell her, wiping the alcohol off my chin while grinning. Drunk Elena is a hell of a lot of fun.

"Whatever," she chuckles. "Alright, who's next? Another round, Bree?"

"Honey, you should be on the floor," says the blonde next to Elena.

"I am not even _drunk._ My tolerance is like way up _here!"_ she says, raising her hand and jumping. I just grin at her enthusiasm. Suddenly, she shocks me by leaning over and planting a kiss on my lips. A kind of fire races through me before she pulls away. "I wanted to do that for a while," she tells me, grinning at my dropped jaw.

Elena goes over to the pool table and starts playing a game with the blonde, but a few minutes later I hear her phone ring. I take the time to go over to the bar and relax. But as soon as I sit down, Bree says something that makes me regret not listening in. "Hey, where's your girl?" she asks.

"Hmm, she's right back there," I say, turning to the pool tables. Only I don't see her. I look around, and then look at the door. I get up and head outside to check on her. I start to worry when I don't see her outside. I look down, see her phone, and know she's in trouble. I sniff the air and I smell her scent, but also the scent of someone I don't recognize. I grab her phone and follow her scent around a warehouse next to the bar.

I spot her on a ladder. "Damon, no," she cries, fear in her voice.

I stop only to have a vampire rush forward and bash the back of my knees with a baseball bat. I cry out in pain as I collapse. The guy uses his full strength to swing the aluminum bat on me again and again. "Ow! Ow! What the hell?" I cry out.

The guy vamps away only to return and start dousing me with gasoline. "No!" Elena cries out. The guy turns his vamp face at her.

"Who are you?" I manage to gasp out as he pours more gasoline on me.

"That's perfect. You have no idea," he snaps.

"What are you talking about? What did he do?" Elena demands.

He turns to her. "He killed my girlfriend," he says. I try to put the pieces together to figure out what he means. "What did she do to you? Huh? What did she do to you?" he yells at me.

I figure it out then. "Nothing," I say.

The vampire tosses the gasoline can away. "I don't understand," Elena says.

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan. And Damon killed her," he says, turning to Elena. "Got it?"

I try to get up, only for him to kick me in the head. "Lexi?" Elena whispers. "Lexi was your girlfriend? She told me about you. She said that you were human."

"I was," he says.

I don't see what he's doing but I have a feeling he's pulling out a match. "Lexi turned you?" Elena asks.

"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever," he says, looking at Elena as I turn my head around. Then he turns and kicks me in the face again.

"She loved you," she says. "She said that when it's real, you can't walk away."

"Well that's a choice you're not gonna have to make," he growls at her.

"Don't. Don't. Please don't hurt him," Elena begs.

I hear the guy strike a match and know that I might very well be on fire soon if Elena can't talk some sense into the guy. "I'm doing you a favor," he says.

"Lexi loved you. And she was good. And that means you're good too. Be better than him. Don't do this. I'm begging you," she pleads. I can hear the tears in her voice, though the smell of gasoline overrides any other smell. _"Please."_

The guy pulls me up to his face by my jacket and I stare into his vamp face. Then I'm flying through the air and hit a metal wall at least ten yards away. I fall to the ground and groan.

"Thank you," I hear Elena whisper.

"It wasn't for you," the guy tells her softly. Then he's gone.

I hear Elena run up to me and feel her kneel next to me. She helps me into a sitting position, though it's very painful. I groan as I realign the bones in my legs so that they can heal properly. "Do you need blood to heal?" she asks softly.

I look at her in surprise. Is she actually offering her blood? "I'll heal without it, but it'll take longer," I tell her truthfully.

She holds out her arm. "Drink mine. I don't want to see you in pain," she says.

"You're actually offering me your blood?" I ask incredulously.

"I just said I was," she says.

"Stefan will kill me if he finds out," I tell her.

"He has no right to meddle in my business anymore. I don't care what his reasons are for hiding the fact that I look like Katherine, I am still breaking up with him. I can't handle being in a relationship with someone who won't tell me the truth. If he tries to kill you, I'll stop him."

I look in her eyes and all I see is honesty and trust. "If I'm going to drink your blood, I might as well do it right," I tell her, pulling her closer to me. I bury my face in her neck, kissing her pulse before I bite down. She lets out a moan of pleasure as my fangs pierce her skin. The second her blood hits my tongue, I am amazed by how magnificent it tastes. I have never had blood that tasted this good. I feel my body healing rapidly as I feed from her. As soon as my body is healed, I retract my fangs. I slowly run my tongue over the bite mark to both seal it and lap up the rest of the blood. Finally I pull away and look at her.

"I didn't know a vampire bite could feel so good," she breathes.

I smirk, licking my lips. "It was partly because you were giving me your blood willingly and partly because I didn't want it to hurt you," I tell her. I stand up and help her to her feet. She sways as soon as she's standing, and I steady her. "Easy now," I say softly. I scoop her up in my arms.

"What are you doing?" she demands, though her tone is playful.

"I am not having you collapse on the way to the car," I tell her, walking at human speed to my car. I put her in the passenger seat, buckle her in, and hand her phone over. "I'll be right back. I have to talk to Bree about something," I say, trying not to let a hint of my anger at the witch show.

But something she sees in my eyes informs her of what I plan on doing. She grabs my hand. "Don't kill her, Damon," she says.

"She almost had _me_ killed," I snap. "She deserves to die like the traitor she is."

"Please, Damon. For me," she begs. "I don't want to think about this day only to have the awesome memory ruined knowing you killed her."

I pause at that. She had a great time today? I guess I should go along with her and not ruin the memory by killing that traitorous witch. I sigh. "I won't kill her. But I still need to talk to her," I tell her.

She watches me. "You want to find another way to free Katherine, don't you?" she asks. I nod. "I understand. Just don't kill her," she says, releasing my hand.

I head into the bar to see Bree drinking. She turns to me. "We were just leaving, I wanted to say goodbye," I tell her.

"Good to see you again, Damon," she says softly.

"No kiss?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm full of vervaine," she informs me. "I put it in everything I drink."

"You're still lucky that Elena pleaded for me to spare you," I inform her.

Her eyes widen. "The tomb can be opened," she says quickly.

I narrow my eyes. "You're lying," I snap.

"Emily's grimiore, her spell book. If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book. You can open the tomb."

"And where's this book?" I ask. She stutters and stammers. "You have no idea?"

"No, I don't," she admits.

I put my hand on the side of her face. "And I believe you," I tell her gently. I put my other hand over her heart. "I could easily rip your heart out right now for betraying me. You better find some way to thank Elena for talking me into sparing your life." I leave her standing there, staring at me. I grab my jacket and walk out to my car. Elena looks up as I slide into the driver's seat. "I didn't kill her. And I told her that you're the one she should thank for that," I say, starting the car.

She places her hand on my thigh. "Thank you," she says, exhaustion evident in her voice.

I glance at her as I pull out of the parking lot. "Want to stop at a hotel and head back tomorrow?" I ask.

"Please," she says.

I nod, and head to the nearest one. I'm not at all fond of these cheap hotels, but I'll deal with them when I have no other choice. I stop at the office and head in to book a room. By the time I get back, I can tell that Elena is very close to falling asleep. I shake her arm and she looks at me. "Just a few more minutes and we'll be in the room. You can sleep then," I tell her. I pull the car around and park right outside our room. I turn the car off, get out, and walk around to help her get out.

I lock the car up, grab a change of clothes from the trunk, and take Elena into the room. I tuck her into one of the beds before heading into the bathroom. The reek of gasoline is killing my nose. As the water heats up, I strip out of the clothes I was wearing. Those are heading straight for the dumpster tomorrow. I step into the shower and start scrubbing until I no longer smell a hint of gasoline on myself.

I turn the water off and step out. Normally, I sleep in the nude, but I know that Elena would _freak_ if she woke up and saw my like that. So I grab my boxer-briefs and slip into them. I pick up the clothes Lexi's boyfriend had ruined and put them in a corner of the main room, the one furthest from where I intend to sleep. Then I lay down on the bed I had chosen for myself, close my eyes, and force myself to fall asleep.

Vampires don't necessarily _need_ to sleep, but it is something to do to pass the time. Normally, I sleep without dreams. But tonight, I find myself dreaming of holding Elena in my arms and dancing with her in the boarding house living room. I know it's Elena and not Katherine because of the heartbeat. The dream quickly takes a steamy turn that will leave me wondering just where it came from when my only goal is to free Katherine from the tomb.


	2. Friends

More than Friendship  
DG32173

Sarah: here's chapter two. I hope you enjoy it enough to leave a review.

_**DISCLAIMER**_  
Still don't own Vampire Diaries. Nor do I own anything else you might recognize.

* * *

Chapter 2  
Friends

I pull into the driveway of the boarding house and look at Elena as I turn off the car. "Sure you want to face him right now?" I ask when I see the troubled expression on her face.

She nods. "I still have to get the necklace back. You two aren't the only vampires in the world, and I need the protection it will give me," she says, opening her door and getting out.

I get out as well, leaving the Camaro unlocked since I'll be using it to get her home after her confrontation with my brother. I follow her into the boarding house. She doesn't even stop to knock, which causes me to hide a smile. That girl is extremely bold, walking into the home of two vampires without bothering to announce herself. Once inside, I head straight for the bar to pour myself a drink while she climbs the stairs to Stefan's room.

I listen in as she starts interrogating him about the picture and his reasons for hiding it. She also manages to pry out his knowledge of her adoption, the fact that he had saved her from the crash that killed her parents, _and_ that he had watched her up until the new school year, all of which I had suspected were true.

I take a drink of my bourbon as I hear Stefan take a step towards her only to stop. "Don't, Stefan. Don't hug me. Don't try to comfort me," she snaps, and I can hear the tears in her voice. "One day, I may be able to forgive you for your lies. But not now. I can't stand being lied to. I can't be in any kind of committed relationship with someone who lies to me, no matter what their reasons are. As of right now, we are back to being friends. I can't be your girlfriend knowing you would hide things from me."

"Elena, did Damon tell you to do this?" he asks, and I growl at his distrust.

"No, Damon did _not_ tell me to break up with you," she snaps. "He didn't even know I was actually planning on going through with it. Damon was very considerate of me in Georgia. He came to save me from a vampire who used me as bait to draw him out to attempt to kill him as revenge for killing Lexi." My brother gasps at this news. "I managed to talk the vampire out of it, barely. I consider Damon a friend. He made me remember what it's like to have fun and I actually forgot how my life has turned upside down, for a while at least."

I hear the clinking of the chain of her necklace. "At least keep this on," he pleads. "We're not the only vampires out there."

I hear Elena take the necklace and put it back on. "Damon didn't compel me in Georgia, not once," she informs my brother. "No matter what your troubles with him may be, I trust him." With that, I hear her leave my brother's room and come downstairs. She sits next to me on the couch with a sigh before burying her face in her hands with her elbows propped on her knees. "I take it you heard all that?" she asks, voice slightly muffled by her hands.

"Every word," I reply. I finish my drink and stand up, gently tugging her up with me. "I should get you home, your aunt is going to be furious as it is. If you want, I could tell her that I was with you the entire time and kept you safe."

She looks at me in surprise. "You'd do that?" she asks.

"We're friends, right?" I retort with a smirk. She nods. "You saved my life in Georgia. The least I could do is make sure Jenna knows who to blame for your disappearance."

"Thank you," she says gratefully as she follows me out to my car.

We're quiet on the drive to her home, neither of us looking forward to the confrontation with her aunt. As soon as we step through the front door, Jenna heads straight for Elena. "Why did you lie to me about where you were, Elena? Do you realize how worried I was? I thought we were closer than that," she says angrily.

Fury flashes across Elena's face and I decide to step in before things escalate out of control. "It's my fault, actually," I confess. Jenna looks at me in confusion. "Elena had just had a nasty fight with my brother and I figured that she could use a break from him. I was heading out of town on business, and I took Elena with me. She didn't want him to find out where she was since he would just come drag her back, so she had to lie in case he tried asking anyone about her location." Well, it was all true. Just not the whole truth.

Jenna quickly cools off and runs a hand through her hair. "I wish you had at least told me you had a fight with him," she tells Elena. "I would have understood the need to get away. Hell, that's what happened when I broke it off with ScumFell. I took the chicken option and ran."

Elena quickly contains her emotions. "Sorry, Jenna. Damon kept an eye on me while we were gone and, as you can see, he brought me home in one piece," she replies. She hesitates, then plunges ahead with her question. "Why didn't you tell me I'm adopted?" she asks.

Jenna pales. "How did you find out?" she demands.

"Stefan," Elena replies immediately.

"Is that what the fight was about?"

"No. The fight was about him lying to me about something. He thought he was protecting me from the truth," she says.

Jenna groans. _"Why_ do people always think a lie is better than the truth?" she growls.

She glances at me, and I raise my hands to pacify her. "I always tell the truth," I assure her. "I feel it's better to tell the truth _now_ rather than be caught in a lie _later."_

"I agree," both women say simultaneously.

"The truth always comes out eventually," Elena continues.

"Yes, it does," I agree.

Elena turns back to her aunt. "So, why wasn't I told about being adopted?" she asks.

Jenna sighs. "You're parents were planning on telling you when you turned eighteen. I never thought I would have to be the one to tell you," she explains.

"Tell me about my birth mom," Elena says, grabbing my wrist as she heads for the living room. Why she wants _me_ in on this discussion, I don't know, but I let her drag me to the couch. Jenna sits in a chair while I take my position at the end of the couch next to her chair. Elena props her feet in my lap and leans against the opposite arm of the couch. I roll my eyes but don't complain.

"I might as well start at the beginning," Jenna begins. "Your birth mother showed up at your father's medical practice, only hours before you were born. She was only fifteen and a runaway. After you were born, Grayson and Miranda opened their home to both of you. But only a few days later, your mom just vanished into the night, leaving you behind. Your parents had been trying so hard to have a child. When it became apparent that your mom wasn't coming back, Grayson forged a birth certificate that made it appear like you were _their_ child. They just couldn't bring themselves to inform Social Services about you."

"What was her name? My birth mother's that is," Elena asks.

"Isobel," Jenna replies.

I feel a chill run down my spine. It _can't_ be the same Isobel I turned a few years ago. That would be too much of a coincidence, Elena being related to Katherine, who turned me, _and_ Isobel, who I turned. My life can't be _that_ mad. It has to be that the woman I turned and Elena's birth mother share the same name. That _has_ to be it. As I look at her, I can see that Elena is seriously considering hunting her birth mother down. I realize that I have to tell her about the woman I turned before she finds out about it on her own. It may just be that the two women share the same name. But on the chance it's the _same_ woman, I have to be the one to tell Elena _now,_ rather than wait for further proof.

I give Elena a look. She raises an eyebrow but turns back to her aunt. "Thanks for all this, Jenna. I need to talk to Damon for a bit. We'll be in my room," she says.

"I'll see if I can track down any information about her on the internet," Jenna offers.

Elena grins. "That would be great," she says cheerily as she stands up. I follow her to her room and look around before flopping on the bed. I grab her teddy bear and put it in my lap to fiddle with while I break this bit of news to her. Elena closes the door behind her and sits cross-legged next to me on the bed. "What do you need to talk about?" she asks, curiosity obviously eating at her. "You looked like someone threw ice water on you when Jenna said my birth mother's name. Do you know her?"

I wince. "I _really_ hope not," I admit.

Her eyes widen. "Why?" she asks.

"A few years back, I was in North Carolina. A woman named Isobel tracked me down and begged me to turn her," I confess. I hold up a hand to forestall the questions that are about to burst out of her mouth. "I liked her audacity. So, first I slept with her, even though she was married." She winces at that. "Then I fed her my blood and drained hers to the point of death. I stuck around for a couple months to show her the ropes, then I moved on."

She is silent for several long minutes. Finally, she sighs. "I appreciate that you're telling me this right now," she admits. "It would have been nasty if I had to find out some other way, if she really was my birth mom." She watches me silently for a few moments. "What was her last name?" she asks.

I shrug. "We didn't have that sort of relationship," I tell her.

"So, basically, you slept with her, made sure she got the hang of being a vampire, then abandoned her?" she asks.

"Pretty much sums it up," I say with a nod.

She rolls her eyes. "Why would she beg you to turn her?"

"She researched all this information about the supernatural. She had me confirm what I could and correct her when she got something wrong. Then she begged for me to turn her into a vampire. She said she had wanted to be one for a long time," I reply. She tilts her head back and looks at the ceiling. My gaze instantly fixes on the pulse on her neck and I realize it's been a while since I last fed _properly._ I stand up quickly and return her teddy to its former position on her bed. "I should leave. I haven't fed properly in a while," I tell her when she looks at me in surprise. She opens her mouth but I cut her off. "I'm heading back to the boarding house, I keep blood bags stocked there. Not as good as blood from the vein, but so much better than the diet of animal blood my brother tries to talk me into."

She nods. "Okay," she pauses. As I head to her door, her voice stops me. "You still plan on trying to free Katherine?" she asks.

Something in her voice causes me to look back at her, but she hasn't turned to face me. "She's the reason I came back to Mystic Falls; I will not stop until she is free," I reply.

"How will you do that? The crystal was destroyed," she says, turning towards me. Her expression is guarded, her eyes dark with unidentifiable emotions.

I smirk. "I have to find Emily's grimiore."

"What's a grimiore?"

"It's like a witch's cookbook," I explain. At her puzzled expression, I sigh. "Every witch keeps one. When a witch casts a spell, particularly a lasting one, she writes it down in her grimiore, along with how to undo it. Some witches use it as a sort of diary, others use it purely for keeping track of their spells." She nods. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to the boarding house before I sink my fangs into someone's neck from hunger."

"See you later," she says, raising her hand in a slight wave.

"Later," I say with a nod before making my way downstairs. "See ya, Jenna," I call as I open the front door.

"Thank you for taking care of Elena these past few days, Damon," she calls back. "I hope you stop by again soon."

"Will do," I reply.

A week later

It has been a week since I told Elena about my need to find Emily's grimiore. Yesterday, Elena and I brought it up to Stefan. He agreed to help, but I have my doubts about being able to trust him. Today, he took Elena out to where our home in 1864 had stood. I knew instantly he was going to talk to her about the grimiore, and I know she will tell me what he is planning.

Right now, Elena and I are in the kitchen of the Gilbert house, working on the meal. Jenna had invited Stefan and I over to join them in family night. Stefan has yet to arrive. I look over at Elena. "Can I trust him?" I ask her.

She looks up from where she's cleaning the island counter. She purses her lips and shakes her head. "He doesn't trust that you'll destroy the other vampires in the tomb after Katherine is freed," she informs me. "He plans on getting the grimiore before you, skimming through it a bit, then passing it over to Bonnie, since it belonged to her ancestor. It would take a good deal of convincing on my part for Bonnie and her Grams to agree to do anything for you, after the way you tried to kill Bonnie after Emily used her body to destroy the crystal."

I groan. "I was _angry,"_ I complain. "Emily broke our deal and I snapped."

"Should I tell Stefan I lied to you about this?" she asks.

"Show him he's not the only one who knows how to lie," I tell her. She chuckles. "I have an idea for if he figures out where the grimiore is before I do." She raises an eyebrow. "You text me the location when he starts taking you there, I pop up just as soon as it's in his hand, act all betrayed and such." She nods. "We're going to have to be convincing, though. So I'm going to have to feed you my blood and threaten to turn you if he doesn't give me the grimiore."

She makes a face. "Are you sure he won't call your bluff?" she asks softly. "Cause I'm not ready to be a vampire."

"Don't worry, kitten. He _loves_ you. He will definitely believe that I would be prepared to turn you if he doesn't listen. He'll pass over the book, then you and I will find some way to convince the witches to help us free Katherine while burning the rest of them. I'm not prepared to have twenty-six angry vampires hunting Stefan and I down for revenge, even _if_ I sometimes feel like my brother deserves it."

Elena considers this as I stir the chili. "Okay. But what will he do when he finds out I was on your side this whole time?" she asks, a touch of fear in her voice.

"I'll protect you from anything he might try, _if_ he tries anything. He's not into harming humans, hence the whole animal blood diet," I say, putting the lid over the chili to let it to simmer. "And I _especially_ doubt he'll hurt you, considering his feelings for you."

Just as she opens her mouth to reply, the doorbell rings. I follow Elena as she answers it, revealing my traitorous brother. He looks between us, brows furrowed at how close we're standing. Elena still hasn't completely forgiven him for his lies, and refuses to do anything _remotely_ like a date with him. He practically had to beg to get her to agree to go to the old Salvatore estate with him. I raise an eyebrow and smirk at him. This is going to be interesting.


	3. The Tomb

More than Friendship  
DG32173

Sarah: chapter three is here. I hope you enjoy it.

_**DISCLAIMER**_  
I don't own anything except what I write.

* * *

Chapter 3  
The Tomb

I'm in Anna's hotel room, paging through Jonathon Gilbert's journal when my phone vibrates in my back pocket, signaling I got a text. I pull it out and check the text. It's from Elena.

_The grimiore is in your father's grave. Stefan's taking me there now._

I smirk, snap the journal shut and stuff it into my jacket. I start to leave the hotel room. "Aren't you going to tell me where it is?" Anna asks, looking surprised.

"I work alone," I tell her, though it's not _quite_ true.

I dash out the door and quickly make my way to the spot where my father is buried. Within ten minutes, I have Elena's back pressed against me, my bleeding wrist pressed against her mouth, and am demanding that Stefan give me the book or I'll turn Elena.

"Let her go first," he tries to bargain. "I'll give you the book when she's by my side."

"Yeah, about that," I say slowly. "The thing is, I no longer _trust_ that you'll give it to me."

After a few more jabs back and forth, he tosses the book to the ground near me. I slowly release Elena. He holds out his hand to her, expecting her to rush into his arms to get away from me. His face freezes in a mask of shock when she ignores him and picks up the book before returning to my side. "Elena? What's going on?" he demands.

"You tried to get me to lie for you, Stefan," she snaps. "I can understand why Damon wants Katherine back. He swore he'd only save Katherine and burn the rest of the tomb vampires, and I believe him. He's never given me a reason to doubt his honesty, unlike you."

I wrap an arm around her shoulders. "She's a good little actress, isn't she, brother?" I ask, smirking. Stefan's eyes flick back and forth between us, a combination of betrayal and hurt emanating from him. "How's it feel to be the one to be betrayed for a change?" I ask.

"You weren't going to turn her at all, were you?" he demands of me.

"You turned over the book, so we'll never have to find out," I reply, turning to Elena. She's clutching the book to her chest. "Now where to?" I ask her, ignoring my brother.

"Take me to Bonnie's Grams'. She's the more powerful witch as well as the more stubborn of the two. She's the one I'll have a harder time convincing," she tells me, not even glancing at Stefan when he starts to protest.

I scoop her up in my arms, make sure she has a tight grip on the book, then glance at my brother. "Take care of that, would you?" I ask with a nod towards the open grave. Then I'm racing through the woods then the town at top speed. It's less than a minute later when I stop on Sheila Bennett's porch. I gently lower Elena back to her feet. "That witch doesn't like me," I warn her. "She'll never let me in the house."

"We'll talk on the porch. It must be important if you come barging up here in the middle of the night with Emily's grimiore," the old witch says as she opens her door and steps out, wearing only a nightgown and housecoat. "Elena," she greets with a nod.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late, Grams," Elena starts.

"As I said, it must be important for you two to show up here at this time with that book," Sheila interrupts. She crosses her arms. "Knowing Damon, it's about opening that old tomb. After all, he almost killed my granddaughter when Emily used her body to destroy the crystal."

"But I _didn't_ kill her," I point out, only to wince when she glares at me. That killer migraine she gave me the one time I was stupid enough to challenge her still haunts me.

"You may not trust him, Grams," Elena interjects before I get a repeat experience. "But he's my friend and I trust him with my life. He says that he only wants to get Katherine out and swears he will burn the rest. I believe him."

Sheila raises an eyebrow at me. "Apparently there's a side of you that lays hidden if you earned _her_ trust and friendship," she remarks casually with a nod towards Elena.

I shrug. "If you say so," I say, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. I _don't_ want to provoke _this_ particular witch again. "So, will you help?"

Sheila places a hand on Elena's shoulder only to jerk it back immediately. "Oh, you silly, headstrong child," she chides gently. "There's a great chance of unrivaled heartache down the road you walk so willingly."

"I feel it will be worth it in the end," Elena replies softly.

"You are heading down a path that will either break you or give you more joy than you ever imagined possible. It all starts with the tomb."

"Mind explaining what all that's about?" I ask, confused.

Elena blushes while Sheila gives me a look that feels as if she's examining my soul, if I have one. "Bonnie and I will open the tomb for you," she says finally. "Just be careful with Elena. She's a very rare kind of person indeed. And be sure to keep your word. Only Katherine comes out. The rest are to be burned."

"I'll keep that promise," I vow. Then I pause. "Anna wants her mother, Pearl, out," I admit grudgingly.

Sheila raises an eyebrow. "It is no easy thing for a child to lose a parent for such a long stretch of time and know that they are still alive, in a sense," she admits. "I will allow Pearl out as well, for Anna's sake. Anna may be a vampire, but she is still just a child missing her mother."

"When do we do this?" Elena asks.

"Tomorrow night. I will talk to Bonnie. Damon, you go tell Anna that I agreed to allow her mother to come back. But she _cannot_ use blood straight from a human to do so. Give her a blood bag for the purpose. We will all meet at the tomb at nine tomorrow evening."

Before Elena or I have a chance to say anything, Sheila had taken the grimiore, walked back into her home, and locked the door behind her. We exchange a look. "That was easier than I thought it would be," she admits. "I didn't expect her to agree so quickly."

"Nor did I," I admit. I raise an eyebrow at her. "Whatever she saw when she touched you must have convinced her that I will keep my word." We walk down the stairs slowly. "What did she mean by 'the road you walk'?" I ask. She opens her mouth to deny the knowledge but I put a finger over her lips. "Don't start lying to me now. You knew _exactly_ what she was talking about, and I get the feeling that whatever you two were talking about is what decided her. After all, she said this 'road' of yours starts at the tomb and that's when she agreed to open it."

"I don't know what she meant by that part," she admits. "But she was referring to my emotions lately."

I raise an eyebrow before scooping her up in my arms. Seconds later, we are in her room, where I set her down on her feet again. I kick off my shoes and flop back on her bed. "What emotions would those be?" I ask, grabbing her teddy bear and putting it in my lap.

She blushes. "That's something I don't want to talk about right now," she says, grabbing her PJs. She goes into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her to change.

"It's not like I haven't seen it all before," I call to her.

"Shut up," she growls as she comes out, her blush even brighter than before.

I smirk as she crawls under the covers next to me. "Seriously, I've undressed plenty of women in the past hundred and forty-five years," I inform her. She rolls her eyes. "You have nothing I haven't seen before."

She scowls. "I just hate my birthmark."

I raise an eyebrow. "A birthmark? That would make you physically identical to Katherine in every way _except_ that. Katherine didn't have a birthmark." I leer at her. "Where's this birthmark? What's it look like?"

"On my left hip," she says.

"_And?_ What does it look like?" I prod.

"Maybe one day I'll show you," is her only response. "Or maybe you'll never get to see it. I'll have to think about it."

I groan. "I hate mysteries," I growl.

She gives me an unreadable look. "When do you plan on telling Anna she's getting her mother back tomorrow night?" she asks.

"If you want me to leave so badly, I guess I could go tell her now," I start, moving to get up. She grabs my wrist to stop my from leaving. I smirk at her and settle back down. She releases my wrist the instant she is sure I will stay.

"You dance pretty well," she tells me, obviously thinking back to the last decade dance where Stefan and I caught and staked her vampire stalker.

"I enjoy dancing."

"Stefan doesn't like it."

"Nope. I guess he feels it doesn't fit in with his self-imposed penance for the so-called 'crimes' he pulled."

"What 'crimes'?" she asks.

"_Not_ something you want me to talk about right before bed; you might get nightmares," I inform her. "Let's just say that he goes a little _nutso_ when he drinks human blood and leave it at that for now."

"So that's why he has to drink animal blood."

"That's why he _feels_ like he has to drink animal blood. I say he just needs to learn some control."

"Like you're one to talk about control issues," she teases.

"At least I can keep my craving for blood under control," I retort. "Temper, not so much."

"Could you tell me about your mother? Stefan never talks about her," she asks suddenly. "And maybe we could talk about what led up to you two being turned."

"That's because he didn't know our mother," I reply softly. "She died giving birth to him."

She winces. "Sorry."

"You didn't know. I only had her for seven years. Father never remarried. Stefan and I were raised by the servants after mother died."

"That would make you a hundred and sixty-nine?" she asks.

"Yep."

"Wow. Thinking about how old you two are makes me feel like a toddler."

I chuckle. "We're vampires," I remind her. "We stopped aging the day we turned."

Elena calculates that in her head. "Stefan says he was seventeen when he turned. That would mean you were twenty-four when you turned," she concludes.

"Yep."

"What was your mother like?" she asks, returning to our prior subject.

"She was amazing. She was gentle and good and beautiful. She was even kind to the slaves, and they all but worshipped her. She didn't have a mean bone in her body. She was about your height. I inherited her hair and eyes. I guess that's why my father didn't like being around me after her death. I reminded him too much of her. It was my mother who taught me what most slave-owners were like to their slaves. That's why I was actually _glad_ when the civil war broke out. I was rooting for the Union states to win, to abolish slavery. I only joined the Confederate army because I was all but conscripted. But I abandoned the army after a single tour of duty; I couldn't bring myself to fight for the side that I felt should not win. My father felt like I was a disgrace. But even if I had won countless medals, I doubt he would have looked at me as anything other than my mother's son. Gemma, an old slave who was also in charge of the kitchen, once told me that I was the spitting image of my mother when I was a teenager."

"Your father was so horrible!" she exclaims. "He should have supported you, not ridiculed you."

I shrug. "It was the middle of the nineteenth century," I remind her. "It was a very different world from the one we live in today. Besides, I had Stefan."

"Oh? So you two weren't always at each other's throats?" she teases.

"For just over seventeen years, we were practically inseparable. Then Katherine showed up and we both fell in love with her."

"So Katherine is the reason for the feud between you two," she asks, her tone without a hint of emotion.

I glance at her, raising an eyebrow. "I learned what she was the day I caught her feeding on a stable hand. But I wasn't scared. I was actually excited. I asked her to turn me. She just laughed and promised she would, in time," I tell her. I make a face. "She slept with both of us, but I thought she was only turning _me._ Stefan found out what she was when she fed on him one night while they were together. She had to compel him to not be afraid and not tell anyone. I wasn't afraid and I never would have told anyone about her secret."

"Stefan thinks she compelled you to love her the way she did him."

I shake my head. "She never compelled me, not once. Katherine taught me all the tricks to being a vampire while I was still human. But then the town started suspecting that vampires were among us. I was worried about that, but Katherine told me that everything would work out fine. Katherine had been sharing her blood with me and Stefan for several weeks. I warned Stefan not to trust Father with even a _hint_ of Katherine's secret. He said he wouldn't, and I trusted him. That was the biggest mistake of my life to that date. Father somehow got enough clues from Stefan to figure out what Katherine was. He spiked Stefan's drink with vervaine, knowing that she would bite him that night. Which she did."

"So Stefan's the reason she got caught," Elena breathes.

"Yep. I went to rescue her, and Stefan came along to try to make amends. But our own father shot us down in cold blood. He didn't know we both had Katherine's blood in our systems. I woke up first. Emily had dragged our bodies to an abandoned field with a cottage that was burnt out. Katherine had had her make both of us daylight rings. It was still night, and I took off for the church, determined to stop the burning. But I was too late. I arrived just in time to see them set the building ablaze. In that moment, I thought I had lost Katherine. And I _hated_ Stefan for it. I walked back to the field, determined not to complete the transition. Of course, Stefan had to ruin _that_ too. He woke up the next day and made it back to town that night. Where I later found out father had tried to stake him but Stefan, not realizing his full potential even in transition, somehow turned the tables and Father was the one who got staked."

Elena winces. "Stefan never told me any of this."

"I think he's tried to forget it. Anyways, Father was bleeding, and dying. Stefan offered to turn him in order to save him, not realizing we had to _complete_ transition before we could turn others. I don't know what Father said or did in refusal, but Stefan ended up completing transition by draining our father of blood. And he went crazy. He brought a girl back to the field where I was, and bit her neck in front of me, knowing I wouldn't be able to resist drinking from her with the sight and smell of her blood overwhelming me. So he forced me to complete transition so he wouldn't be alone for eternity. And I promised him an eternity of misery for it. It was only later that Emily told me about the tomb. She knew that the town would soon hunt her down for being a witch. So she made me a deal: I make sure her bloodline survives and she would make sure Katherine was returned to me the next time the comet she used to seal the tomb returned. Sad thing about comets is they take a _long_ time between pit stops."

"Only Emily _broke_ her end of the deal," Elena realizes.

"And I snapped and tried to kill your friend," I finish. "But I _don't_ think Emily considered the possibility of us finding her grimiore and getting her descendants to agree to open the tomb and free Katherine anyways." She sighs, her eyelids drooping though she struggles to keep them open. "Get some sleep; you'll need it tomorrow."

She nods and lets her eyes close completely. "G'nite, Damon," she whispers as I get off her bed while stuffing her teddy into her arms.

"Goodnight, Elena," I say softly as she quickly falls into the realm of dreams. I hesitate, then stroke her cheek before fleeing out the window and heading for Anna's motel room to give her the news that she will get her mother back.

Nine the following night

I watch as the witches start chanting the spell that will open the tomb. I keep a grip on Elena's arm. She agreed to be my insurance that the witches don't lock me inside. In my other hand is a blood bag I brought just for Katherine, to wake her up from the desiccation that takes over the bodies of vampires who go too long without blood. Anna is on the opposite side of the circle, Jeremy's arm in one hand and a blood bag in the other. The kid is _her_ insurance on getting out safely in case I find Katherine first. When the idiot she had turned had tried to talk her out of trusting my word, she had ripped his heart from his chest. This is her only shot at getting her mother back without having to fight for it, and she refused to allow some baby vampire to try to talk her out of taking it.

Suddenly, my attention is drawn to the stairs leading to the surface. Standing there, watching us with bewilderment and shock, is my brother. I scowl at him before turning my attention back to the door to the tomb. Finally, it slowly swings open to reveal the darkness of the tomb beyond. I pull Elena with me into the tomb, Anna right behind us with Jeremy.

"What's that?" Elena whispers when we get deep enough for the desiccated vampires to sense her and Jeremy and start making a fuss.

"They sense you and the kid," I tell her, shining my flashlight in mummified face after mummified face. I drag Elena along as I start to get frantic when Katherine's face doesn't pop up. "C'mon, where is she?" I growl, not realizing my grip on Elena's arm is getting tighter with anxiety. She doesn't make a sound, though. Probably so frightened by the noise echoing through the tomb that she doesn't care _how_ tight my grip is. "She's not here," I realize when we come to the end of the tomb. I start seeing red. "She's not here!" I scream in anger, crushing the blood bag in my hand.

"Maybe there was another path she would be on," Elena suggests.

"There _is_ no other path!" I snap. "She's not here! Which means she was _never_ here!" I cry out, feeling as if my undead heart had been yanked from my chest.

"But if she was never here, that means …" she starts.

"It means she was out and about this _whole_ time and didn't care enough to let me know!" I growl, feeling my fangs extend and the veins around my eyes pop up. I know that the whites of my eyes are now dyed red with blood.

Elena places her free hand on my shoulder and I instantly feel a little calmer. "I think we should start dragging the bodies out to burn," she says. "I believe Anna has already found her mother and gotten Jeremy out of here."

I take in a deep breath between my teeth, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand and putting the problem of Katherine's betrayal on the back burner for now. I grab the two bodies in front of us, slinging one over each shoulder. Elena takes the flashlight and leads the way back to the surface, where we're surprised to see Stefan already slinging bodies into a pile while Jeremy stands off to the side. Elena moves to her brother's side while Stefan and I busy ourselves with hauling bodies to the pile to burn.

As I haul the last body to the surface, I see Elena's arms wrapped around her brother's shaking body while his face is buried in her shoulder. I feel a twinge of sympathy for the kid. To go from not believing in the existence of the supernatural to facing not only witches but also vampires and actually having to watch a bonfire of desiccated vampire bodies slowly turn to ash; the poor kid's had a hard day. I sling the last body onto the pile and grab a can of gasoline. Stefan grabs the other can and we douse the entire pile with the stuff down to the last drop.

I pull a matchbook from my jacket pocket, strike a match, and toss it onto the pile, which instantly roars up a raging inferno. "Where's Bonnie and her Grams?" Elena asks, circling the fire to stand beside me.

"They went back to Sheila's place. The spell wore them out. Sheila told Bonnie that they didn't need to be here to watch us burn the bodies," Stefan says without looking our way. "For some reason, Sheila trusted we'd stick to our word that the bodies will be burned."

I stay silent and stare at the flames licking at the burning vampires, feeling the flaming tongues of anger and betrayal burning away all the love I had for Katherine. All these years, she's been free of the tomb. All these years, and she never _once_ bothered to clue me in to the fact that she was _safe._ She _has_ to know that I had been searching all these years for a way to free her. But _obviously_ she didn't care enough about me to let me know she was alright, that she _wasn't_ rotting away in a tomb, deprived of blood and freedom.

Elena moves in front of me and wraps her arms around my waist in a hug. That's when I feel the tears streaking down my cheeks. Tears of hurt, anger, sorrow, and rage. I close my eyes as I slowly return the hug, burying my face in her hair. At least I have Elena. And she somehow understands _exactly_ what I'm going through.

The sun is creeping over the horizon behind the trees when the fire finally goes out on it's own, leaving a pile of ash that a sudden gust of wind quickly scatters. Elena had held me throughout the night as the fire burned. She slowly pulls away as the last of the ash is blown away. She looks up at me. "I'll stick with you, no matter what you decide," she tells me softly, placing a hand on my cheek. "If you go after her, I'm going too."

I nod once, to let her know that I understand. I look around and see that Stefan is scooping Jeremy up in his arms. The kid had fallen asleep, leaning against a tree, sometime during the night. Stefan gives me a look, a nod, and then takes off, probably to put Jeremy in his own bed before Jenna wakes up and finds both her charges are missing. I look down at Elena again. "Do you want to return to your place?" I ask, softly.

She shakes her head. "I'll come back to the boarding house with you. I'm going to be there for you through this all the way to the end."

I scoop her up in my arms and take off straight for the only place I've called home since the one I was born in burned to the ground. Even after her breakup with my brother, Elena has come and spent the night at the boarding house, visiting one or both of us. But rather than taking occupancy in my brother's bed, she opted for the spare bedroom right next to mine. My room and Stefan's are at opposite ends of the second floor hall from each other, allowing us to be as far from each other as possible in the boarding house.

It takes nearly two minutes to get from the old church to the living room of the boarding house. I ease her back onto her feet, only to grab her arms to steady her when she nearly falls over from exhaustion. She winces and gently pulls her right arm from my grasp. I narrow my eyes is I pull her arm back towards me, shoving up her shirt sleeve to see a nasty bruise on her upper arm shaped like my handprint. I curse, knowing exactly when that had to have happened. "Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?" I demand.

"You were so angry, and at the time I was frightened enough by those noises that I didn't notice it until after it was all over," she says.

I hesitate. "If you drink some of my blood, the bruise and pain will go away quickly," I tell her. I will _not_ force my blood on her ever again, no matter that she had agreed to allowing me to force it on her the one time I did.

She gently strokes the bruise while considering my offer. Finally, she sighs. "I don't have to drink a lot, do I?" she asks plaintively.

"Nothing's broken, so just a swallow or two will do the trick," I say, biting into my wrist then holding it out to her. She grasps my arm in her hands and latches her lips onto the bite mark. As she drinks my blood, I feel the strangest sensation of peace and maybe even happiness. Before I can even begin to analyze it, she pulls away, licking my blood from her lips. I check her arm and watch as the bruise quickly fades until her skin is flawless once more. I run my hand through my hair. "I'm sorry about hurting you," I tell her.

"You didn't mean to, Damon," she reminds me. "Accidents happen." She's interrupted by a yawn. "Thank God it's Saturday," she says. "If it was a school day, I'd just skip. Well, I'm gonna go get some sleep. You and I will talk later about where we go from here."

"'We'? What's this talk about 'we'?" I ask, following her up the stairs.

"I'm your friend, Damon. As soon as we realized that bitch was never in there but let you spend all those years thinking she was, I wanted to get revenge for the pain she put you through. If you decide to run off and hunt her down for whatever reason, I will either go with you or find some way to follow your tracks."

I raise an eyebrow. "What would your aunt say about that?" I ask as we stop outside her room.

"Knowing Jenna, she'd pry out why I wanted to follow you, I'd tell her that your ex let you spend _years_ thinking she was waiting for you, but instead she was never where she let you think she was. Jenna would get angry about how she played you like that, and I'd still chase after you to help you track her down, only I'd have the approval of my legal guardian," she says.

I roll my eyes. "Persistent," I tease.

"You better believe it." She yawns again. "Now I'm going to bed."

With that, she goes into her room and closes the door behind her. I shrug and head into my own room to lay on my bed. Vampires don't _need_ sleep. But it's a way to pass the time. I tuck my hands behind my head, close my eyes, and slowly force every muscle in my body to relax, a handy trick I've learned that always helps me go to sleep.


	4. Setting Out on the Road

More than Friendship  
DG32173

Sarah: well, we're already on chapter four. I hope you have enjoyed everything so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy the fruits of my imagination.

_**DISCLAIMER**_  
What part of _fan_fic do you not understand? _Fan_fics are written by _fans._ You can't exactly own something and be a fan of it at the same time. Well, I guess you _could,_ but you sure as _hell_ wouldn't be writing your ideas up in _fan_fics.

_**NOTE**_  
The ring that Bonnie gives Damon to hold onto for Elena is the _same_ ring that is used as her daylight ring in season four. It is already enchanted into a daylight ring specifically for Elena, but will not be seen again until the chapter I decide to have Elena turn.

Chapter 4  
Setting Out on the Road

I sense someone approaching my spot at the bar in The Grill. I turn and see Liz Forbes, sheriff of Mystic Falls, making her way towards me. "Liz," I greet when she's standing next to me. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have this problem I was hoping you could help me solve," she says.

"What sort of problem?" I ask, intrigued. I _know_ there hasn't been any vampire activity around Mystic Falls for several weeks, so she can't be referring to that.

"Actually, it's more of a favor than a problem," she corrects herself. "You see, every year we have a Mystic Falls Most Eligible Bachelors raffle, and this year we're one short. I was hoping you could fill in the last slot."

I think fast. Normally I'd go for this kind of thing in a heartbeat. But I already told Elena to pack her bags because I plan on leaving tomorrow to hunt down Katherine and find out why she let me think she was in the tomb for all these years. "Yeah, about that," I say slowly. "I _really_ wish I could help, I do, but I was planning on leaving town tomorrow on business and I'm not sure when I'll be back." Liz's shoulder's slump and I get a wicked idea. "Ask my brother, he's nearly eighteen," I suggest.

"I don't know," she says slowly.

"Well, why not? It's not like the dates following these things get above PG-13. You're not asking him to do anything illegal, after all."

"True," she agree, slowly warming up to the idea.

"Stefan may not have all the charms of yours truly, but he's single, girls say he's good-looking, and did I mention that he knows more about history than your high school history teacher? He even taught your old one a thing or two. And I've been told he actually makes history interesting and real," I wheedle.

Liz laughs. "Okay, I'll ask him," she accepts. "If he doesn't accept, he might have a candidate or two. I know we'll eventually get our last bachelor, we always do. Well, I had to try. I hope your business doesn't keep you away too long. You've got a lot of fans here."

I watch her walk away, chuckling at the thought of my brother's reaction to being asked that question. I highly doubt he'll agree to it. I just hope that Liz doesn't ask him before I get out of town with Elena. At the thought of the girl, I glance at my watch, down the last of my bourbon, and pay my tab. I go outside, get in my car, and head over to the high school, pulling into a parking spot _just_ as the final bell rings. I lean back, cross my arms, and watch the crush of student bodies pouring out of the school. I search intently for one student in particular, letting the slight breeze ruffle my hair. I like driving around town with the top down, but only when I know there is not a _chance_ of foul weather.

Finally, Elena and Bonnie separate from the crowd and head my way. "Hey, Damon," Elena says, dropping into the passenger seat.

I look at the witch. "How's your grandmother?" I ask. "That spell seemed to really take it out of the two of you."

"Grams is doing okay so far. I'm staying at her place for a few days, so we can keep an eye on each other and I can practice my craft," she says, her tone _slightly_ less frigid than the last time she spoke to me. "Elena tells me all the other bodies in the tomb are now ashes scattered on the wind?"

"Indeed they are," I say, nodding.

"Glad you held up your end of the deal, even if we couldn't hold up ours," she says.

I shrug, a cold expression descending across my face.. "It's not your fault she wasn't in there," I say icily.

"You're going after her though?" Bonnie asks.

"We both are," Elena says while I work to thaw my mood. "We'll be leaving tomorrow."

Bonnie raises an eyebrow. "Does Jenna know?" she asks.

"We're going to tell her this afternoon. I'm going to tell her I had another nasty fight with Stefan, which you _were_ a witness of today," Elena says. "She understands the need to get away from clingy ex-boyfriends. I'll also tell her the barest details about what Katherine did to Damon. She trusts him to keep me safe." The witch snorts at that one. I just raise an eyebrow at her. "I'll make sure to keep in touch with everyone. And we'll be back when we get back."

Before the witch can reply, I notice Caroline heading our way. "Blondie coming this way," I warn them just before Caroline is within hearing distance.

"Elena! What are you doing in _his_ car?" the blonde demands, hands on her hips as she stands next to Bonnie.

"We're going on a road trip together tomorrow," I say with a grin.

"_What?_ But what about school? When will you be back?" she asks.

"Car, I _need_ to get away from Stefan. He just won't understand that I'm not going to go back to him. I keep telling him that we are only friends, that that is _all_ I want form him, but he keeps trying to shove his way back into boyfriend status," Elena says with a sigh. "Damon's taking me on a road trip so I can get a break from Stefan, among other reasons."

"But _when_ will you be back?" Caroline demands, voice shrill with anxiety. I wince away from her. God, that girl is _loud._

"I honestly don't know. We'll be back when we get back, Car. Think about it this way: while I'm out of the picture, Matt will only have you to focus on," Elena points out.

"True," Caroline says slowly, perking up at that tidbit.

"I'll be sure to call when I can. I don't _think_ we'll be leaving the country," Elena starts.

"Possible, but highly unlikely," I agree.

"I'll have my camera and I'll be sure to take a ton of pictures to show off when we get back. I'll have that new memory card you gave me, the one that can hold like a _billion_ pictures," Elena says, placing a hand on Caroline's arm. "Don't worry. I'll be fine with Damon. And you'll have Matt all to yourself. Now we gotta go. Bye, Car."

"Bye, Lena," she says, stepping away from my car.

"See ya, Elena. Enjoy your trip," Bonnie says before turning and heading for her car.

I take the opportunity to pull out of the parking lot and steer my car towards Elena's place. She sighs. "Caroline took it better than I expected," she admits.

"Oh?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her. "Sounded to me like she was on the verge of hysteria."

"Like I said, _better_ than I expected. I was waiting for the hysterics to start any second," she explains. "She never likes it when Bonnie or I leave town and she's left behind. It took three hours to convince her that I had _not_ been asked if I wanted to go to Georgia, that you just _took_ me to Georgia after I fainted in your arms. Then I had to spend _another_ hour explaining _why_ I fainted in your arms."

"She sounds like a needy child," I mutter.

"She's the kind of person who needs to keep track of her friends at all times," she says with a wry smile. "I have a feeling that her personality will be much stronger and she'll be more sure of herself if she were to become a vampire."

"Do _not_ look at me to be the sire," I warn her. "I've had enough of that girl to last the rest of eternity."

"You said that compulsion used on a human goes away if that human becomes a vampire?" she asks.

"Mhmm," I confirm.

"Then Caroline will be furious with you if she becomes a vampire, since she'll remember how you treated her. She might even try to claw your eyes out."

"Even _if_ she were to succeed, I'd just heal and be good as new. Benefits of being a vampire," I say, pulling into her drive.

We get out and walk up the porch steps. Elena reaches for the doorknob only for Jenna to open it from the inside. "Are you going somewhere?' Elena asks as we note that Jenna is dressed for a hot date.

"Alaric asked me to go dancing with him; I might not make it home tonight," she admits.

"Can I ask a favor real quick before you go, then?"

"Sure, I don't really have to _leave_ for another half hour. I just wanted to be early," Jenna says, stepping back to let us come inside. We settle ourselves in the living room, in the same positions we had when Elena had learned about her birth mother from Jenna. "So, what's the favor?"

"I was hoping you'd let me go on an extended road trip with Damon starting tomorrow," Elena explains.

Jenna raises an eyebrow. _"Another_ road trip?" she asks.

"I had another nasty fight with Stefan today. I keep trying to tell him I _only_ want to be friends with him, but he keeps trying to shove his way back into the boyfriend position. And he constantly talks badly about Damon, trying to get me to end our friendship," Elena says.

"I thought you two were brothers," Jenna remarks to me.

"We are. _Huge_ sibling rivalry, though, that's been going on for forever. I get the feeling he's jealous of my relationship with Elena," I explain.

"There's also another reason for the road trip," Elena says, regaining Jenna's attention. "Damon had a girlfriend a _long_ time ago. Only something happened that caused them to have to separate for a while, and she promised to meet him somewhere. The meeting was _supposed_ to take place a few days ago, but she never showed. Damon has loved her all this time and now he wants to track her down and find out why she betrayed him. And I'd like to go as emotional support."

As we wait for Jenna's response, Elena reaches forward and grabs my hand, lacing her fingers with mine. Finally, Jenna sighs. "I take it you intend to go whether I approve or not?" Jenna asks Elena with a raised eyebrow. Elena opens her mouth to say something but Jenna cuts her off. "Remember, I was a teenager once. I'm also not blind to how you two feel about each other." At that, even I look at her in surprise. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I know you have strong feelings for each other. As for what those feelings _are,_ that I can't tell you. But I've never seen two people with such a powerful emotional connection, not even on TV. I'm going to support this road trip, because I have a feeling you two will discover just what that connection of yours means while you're gone. Don't worry about school, Elena; I'll figure out some excuse for you. Take as long as you need, but come home in one piece, both of you."

Elena leaps up and hugs her aunt, who is standing by the time she reaches her. "I'll be sure to call every so often to check in," she promises as Jenna returns the hug. "I'll take a ton of pictures and all that."

I can see Jenna blinking tears from her eyes. "I may not be up for the legal guardian of the year award, but I think I can say I understand how you and your brother work and when you need my support." She pulls back from Elena. "Now I have to head out for my date." She raises an eyebrow at Elena. "If Damon is already packed, I think you should just pack, say bye to your brother, and head out tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow. Sooner gone, sooner home, or so they say."

"Thanks, Jenna. You're the best," Elena says before Jenna hurries out the front door. We listen to her car pull out of the drive. When Elena can no longer hear it, she turns to me. _"Are_ you packed?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

I smirk. "What do you think?" I retort, standing up. I pause and listen for a minute. "You're brother's in his room, blasting his ears out while writing. I believe he's doing his homework."

Elena chuckles and takes the stairs two at a time and enters her brother's room. I head straight for her room, flop on her bed, and place her teddy in my lap. I listen in to the sounds from the next room. The blaring music suddenly cuts off.

"Hey! What's the deal, sis?" Jeremy yells the instant the music is gone.

"I'm getting your attention," Elena says.

"Well, you have it. Now what do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you I'm going on another road trip with Damon. I don't know when I'll be back or where all we are going."

"You're leaving _again?"_ he demands.

"At least this time I get the chance to let you know and say bye before we put Mystic Falls in the rearview mirror," she points out.

"Why are you leaving _this_ time? The _real_ reason, not the one you told Jenna."

"Actually, I told Jenna a watered down version of the truth. There are two main reasons. First, Stefan is getting _way_ too clingy for my peace of mind and I _need_ to get away from him. Second, we're going to track down Katherine and find out why she let Damon go all those years believing she was in the tomb when she obviously wasn't."

"You said 'main' reasons," Jeremy points out. "Any other reasons?"

"Well, yes," Elena says reluctantly. I pay close attention. Apparently she's come up with at least one more reason for the road trip. Or Jenna gave it to her. "Jenna thinks that Damon and I share something that's more than friendship. I want to figure out just what that something is before we come back."

I nod. I can go with that. Jenna's comments about powerful connections and strong feelings left me wanting to dig deeper into our relationship to find out what the hell she's talking about. I have felt connected to Elena since I met her on the road the night her parents died. But until now, I haven't thought much of it. Now her aunt brought it up, making me realize that the connection has grown a _hell_ of a lot stronger since that night, strong enough for others to see it. Maybe _this_ is what Stefan's jealous of, this connection I share with Elena.

Jeremy chuckles. "A blind man can see that you two have something that's a _hell_ of a lot more than friendship," he says seriously. "I've been wondering when the two of you would get around to figuring it out for yourselves. I should have _known_ someone had to point it out for you. And I know you're listening, Damon," he adds without raising his voice. I chuckle. "Anna filled me in a bit on the truths and myths of vampires. What I wouldn't give for abilities like that!"

"You'll also have to face having to drink blood to survive," Elena points out logically.

"Well, I've always been willing to try anything once," he admits. "I don't think I'll try Stefan's diet, though," he adds in distaste. "There's something _wrong_ about the thought of draining blood from animals when humans are the ones ruining this world."

I vamp to his doorway. "Couldn't agree more," I say. I grin when they both jump then glare at me for startling them. "Not to mention the _taste!_ Bleargh! I'd rather desiccate than live on animal blood."

"I thought you've never tasted it," Elena points out.

"I made a kind of deal with Saint Stefan. I said I'd go a week without human blood to prove something to him. Worst week _ever._ As if the taste isn't bad enough, _everything_ was dulled down; senses, speed, healing, pain block, powers, the whole package that makes eternity _worth_ living, all of it dulled down. It was like being one small step up from humans."

"That proves it. If I become a vampire, I'm sticking to human blood," Jeremy says immediately. His sister raises an eyebrow at him. "From a _blood bag,_ Lena. Jeez," he adds, catching her look.

I raise an eyebrow at Elena. "What about you, kitten?" I ask. "If you become a vampire, what would your diet be?"

Elena frowns thoughtfully. "I don't think I'll go for animal blood," she says slowly. "I know that Stefan has to feed a lot more often than you do."

"The craving is even more powerful when on animal blood," I tell her. "Not even strong alcohol can dilute it that much. And no amount of animal blood ever fills you up completely. I completely drained an adult mountain lion at one point during that week and was _still_ hungry."

She wrinkles her nose in distaste. "That must have been awful."

"Believe me, it _was,"_ I agree. "So, since animal blood is thankfully _off_ the menu, that leaves either blood bags or straight from the vein. Which one, kitten?"

She bites her lower lip as she considers each option. "Blood bags. If I happen to be out of an immediate supply of blood bags, I guess I could drink from someone, so long as I didn't end up killing them," she finally says.

"There is one time that I think you should drink blood straight from the human," I comment. They both look at me curiously. "When you are in transition, you have _no choice_ except drinking human blood to complete the transformation. I think that first time should be straight from a human."

"Why?" the siblings ask simultaneously.

I shrug. "I know there's at least _one_ vampire out there who drank from a blood bag to finish the transformation. Most vampires are able to feed on a human and still pull away before the human so much as weakens from blood loss. Stefan and the guy I heard about are the only exceptions that I know of. The guy who drank from a blood bag to finish the transformation kept to blood bags for over a year, not hurting a single human," I explain. "But that ended when a woman at the bar he was in cut her finger. Some versions of the story say it was on broken glass, others claim it was just a paper cut, some even swear that she accidentally stabbed herself with her fork. No one knows for sure. All versions agree that the instant he smelled _fresh_ human blood, he lost all sense of himself. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of the bar, every human in that bar completely drained of blood to the last drop. He barely made it back to the apartment he was renting. He stayed locked up in there for weeks, drinking only from the blood bags. Finally, he managed to curb the craving again. But every time he smelled fresh blood after that, he lost himself again, only to wake up surrounded by bodies drained to the last drop."

"That sounds just like some vampire tall tale made up to make sure new vampires drink straight from a human first," Jeremy mocks.

"I thought the same at first," I agree. "But then I decided to look into the back story. We all know tales like that can't be made up from thin air; they always have to have some sort of back story. So I looked up newspaper articles and news reports from the areas mentioned in the most detailed version of the story I could track down during the timeframe given by that version. Turns out quite a few bodies drained of every last drop of blood were popping up at each of the places that were listed in the story. And the first report of the bodies was in a bar. And one of the patrons did have a cut finger."

"That's a bit too much coincidence for my liking," Elena says in distaste.

"I have to agree with you there, Lena," Jeremy agrees reluctantly.

I shrug. "I didn't like that many coincidences either," I agree. "Then, a year after I started believing in him, I walked in on the guy in the middle of draining the bodies of every human in a bar I had decided to try out. I couldn't have him completely ruining the evening for me. The barkeep was still alive, so I decided I had to kill the poor vampire before I lost the barkeep to him. Fortunately, the barstools in that bar were wooden. I grabbed one, broke off a leg, and staked the guy. Then I grabbed another stool and ordered a top shelf bourbon. The barkeep gave the best bottle of bourbon they had to me on the house and I didn't even have to compel him," I finish with a smirk, remembering how the barkeep kept verbally tripping over himself to thank me for saving him from the monster, not realizing I was another such monster.

Jeremy and Elena laugh at the conclusion to my trip down memory lane. "You only saved the barkeep for the bourbon he could give you," Elena mocks.

"Better believe it. One thing I don't steal is high quality booze," I inform her. "Even if everyone was dead and it wasn't _technically_ stealing anymore, I still wouldn't have been able to enjoy it."

"Since the police apparently didn't find the body, what'd you do with him?" Jeremy asks.

"After I finished the bourbon, I placed a wad hundred dollar bills on the counter – I couldn't let the guy lose the money on _that_ bottle – and compelled the barkeep to forget everything that had happened from the moment the vampire I had killed walked in the door to the moment I walked out. Then I grabbed the body and vamped out of the city to a field miles away. I plopped the body down and waited for the sun to come up, turning him to ash. One good thing about sun-cooking a vamp is that _everything_ flammable turns to ash. So the leg of the barstool was gone too. The guy wasn't wearing any jewelry at all. He didn't even have some sort of jewelry to protect him from the sun."

Before either Gilbert can comment, the doorbell rings. All three of us exchange looks of surprise. I had been so focused on my storytelling that I hadn't heard a car drive up. Elena elects to be the one who answers the door. Jeremy and I follow her down the stairs, I stop on the bottom step and lean against the wall while Jeremy is about five steps above me, propping his arms on the rail. Elena opens the door. I raise an eyebrow when both my brother _and_ Bonnie are revealed on the porch. Bonnie is eyeing Stefan the way she used to eye me when she thought I wasn't looking: like something nasty she found on the bottom of her shoe.

Since Elena's back is to me, I don't have a clue at what she's thinking. Bonnie steps around Elena and walks up to me. She hands me a small ring box. "Grams says Elena will need this before you come back," she says softly.

I raise an eyebrow in question, but she just motions to the box. I roll my eyes and open it. I can feel my eyes widen at the sight of a beautiful pale blue lapis lazuli ring held in a white velvet cushion. The second I register the fact that the gem is, in fact, lapis lazuli, I stare at Bonnie in shock. "Are you sure?" I ask shakily.

"That's what I said. Grams was adamant that I bring it to you before you leave and tell you that Elena _will_ need it before you get back. She said to tell you that if her vision hadn't been so powerful and she hadn't been so sure that it took place while you were gone, she would _neve_r have even considered teaching me the spell so early in my training."

I nod, slipping the ring box into my jacket pocket. "Tell Sheila that I am not sure what to think about this information. And tell her that I will protect Elena with my life, no matter what."

Bonnie nods. "Grams said to inform you that what she saw was not an accident causing the need for the ring. She said to tell you that Elena _asked_ you to do it. But she said that you are _not_ to give her even a hint of what she had foreseen until _after_ it's all said and done."

"I am in complete agreement with that. I would _never_ force Elena's hand with this knowledge. I'm not sure _I_ like knowing what will happen to her."

"Grams gave me a spell and told me I could offer to use it as soon as you hide the ring among your belongings; you will not remember it or this conversation until you need the ring."

"And what will I remember us talking about?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll think that I was telling you, in depth, what I would do to you if you don't bring my best friend back in one piece. Which is the conversation I _want_ to be having right now, but Grams talked me out of it. Or more precisely, she told me what you'd do to _yourself_ if anything happened to Elena, and I decided that _nothing_ I could do to you would ever top that."

My eyebrow raises higher, but I give up when she just gives me a stubborn look. Witches are a stubborn lot. And you can't compel them because their magical nature prevents it. "Fine, let's head out to the car. My stuff is in the trunk. I'll hide it and you can cast your damn spell."

"I will wait here. You have to be back on that step for the spell to hold up for however long it needs to last."

I roll my eyes and walk out the door, brushing my shoulder roughly against my brother's and earning a glare from him. I open the trunk of the car and dig through my belongings, searching for the suitcase that I had sewn a secret pocket into. Fortunately, the ring box is almost flat rather than an actual box shape. Sheila must have known that it needed to be hidden and _stay_ hidden, even from me, until it is needed. I work the small box through the multiple folds of the secret pocket until it is held securely against the frame of the suitcase. Due to the complex design I had been so determined to use, I very rarely actually _use_ the secret pocket. Most times I forget it's even there. That will make it extremely useful to keep the ring out of sight and out of mind. I count the blood bags I had stashed in the trunk, making sure I have enough to last a while. I _don't_ want a repeat of the last road trip with Elena, where I had forgotten to bring along blood bags and had to feed straight from Elena.

I head back inside, again brushing roughly past my brother when there is plenty of space for me to pass without touching him. I return to my step and turn to Bonnie. "Took you long enough," she growls.

"We want it to stay hidden until it's needed," I remind her. "I made certain that it will."

"Whatever, let's just get on with the spell. First you need to decide on an explanation for going out to your car and digging through the trunk. That way you'll remember that particular explanation in case Elena asks you about it."

"Easy. One, I wanted to make sure I had everything I want to take with me as well as enough blood bags to last a while. Two, to aggravate my brother, which I succeeded in doing. Three, piss you off by walking off in the middle of your speech."

Bonnie rolls her eyes and rests her finger4s on either side of my face and begins chanting softly. For the first time in a hundred and forty-five years, I get so dizzy I have to close my eyes to avoid getting sick. The room continues to seem to spin around me, causing me to become confused and disoriented. Then everything settles down enough for me to open my eyes. And my mind suddenly blanks out the past few minutes, then it comes rushing back. Bonnie storming up to me, ranting about what she'll do to me if Elena isn't returned home in one piece when our road trip is over. Telling her I need to check my belongings and walking out to my car, brushing by my brother. Going through my things, making sure I have everything I want to take. Making sure I have enough blood bags to last a while. Coming back inside and returning to my step, grinning mockingly at Bonnie, inviting her to continue her rant.

"You had _better_ keep her safe, Salvatore. If you don't bring her back in one piece, I'll use my magic to slice and dice your body _while you live through it,"_ she warns me, picking up where she had left off.

"Don't _worry,_ she'll be _fine._ We'll be back before you know it," I tell her with a groan. "You act like you don't trust me."

"Elena's the one that trusts you, not me," she reminds me.

A sharp _smack_ draws our attention to Elena and my brother. Elena lowers her hand slowly, obviously having just slapped Stefan across the face. I wince as I remember the times she slapped me. I had been on human blood both times and it _still_ hurt. That girl has a powerful swing.

"Don't _ever_ try to kiss me again, Stefan," she snaps, fury rolling off her in waves. "You need to quit following me around like a puppy, hoping that with enough persistence I'll take you back. You've just lost my friendship. Your behavior is turning dangerously stalker-like. That is one reason I'm going on a road trip with Damon with no clue of where I'm going or when I'll be back. Matt may not have liked that I broke up with him and he may still hope that I'll go back to him, but he doesn't abuse my friendship by constantly trying to bully his way back into boyfriend status. I've _had it_ with the way you've been acting, Stefan. You need to get off this property, _now._ If there is a way to rescind a vampire's invite into a home, I hope to God that I find out about it while we're on the road, because I _will_ use it to cancel your invitation the second I get back. I can't believe I _ever_ fell in love with someone like you. You _disgust_ me. Now get lost!" she yells at him, backing him out the door and slamming it in his face so hard that the walls shake from the force.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I have _never_ seen someone as angry as Elena is now. If this were a cartoon, she'd be outlined with fire and have flames in her eyes. "Have you ever seen her that mad before?" I ask Bonnie softly.

"No, never. And we've known each other all our lives," she whispers back.

I walk slowly forward as Elena braces herself against the door with her hands, her whole body trembling with suppressed rage. I gently turn her around and pull her into an embrace, knowing that I'm playing with fire and could easily get burnt by her sharp tongue. "Want to talk about it?" I ask as she forces herself to calm down in my arms.

"No," she says through gritted teeth, shaking her head. "If I talk about it, I'll just want to hunt him down and stake him. And while it might feel good at first, I'll eventually regret letting my anger take over."

I take her shoulders in my hands and hold her at arms reach. "Then I suggest we go up to your room, get you packed, and get out of here before my idiot brother decides he wants a second pummeling from a ferocious kitten. Though, I think I should change that nickname for you. You just showed you could be a real tiger when you need to be."

She chuckles weakly, and, like that, I sense her anger evaporate. Her shoulders slump as I pull her into a quick hug. Before she even gets a chance to return it, I gently shove her towards the stairs. "Go start packing. Be sure to pack that teddy of yours. No, don't look at me like that, I'm serious. Pack the teddy. I need to talk to the witch. I'll be up when I'm done." She obediently climbs the stairs and I turn to Bonnie, crossing my arms. "Why do I feel like you put some sort of hocus pocus on me?" I demand.

She shrugs. "Because you're paranoid when it comes to witches," she retorts. "I'm going to talk to Grams about Stefan's actions. I'm not sure that _everything_ he's done lately has been under his own will."

I raise an eyebrow. "You think he might be under some sort of compulsion?" I ask.

"Well, do his actions seem _normal_ to you?" she retorts.

I consider his usual behavior compared to his recent actions. The more I think about it, the more I have to agree with the witch. "I hate to say this, but I think you might be on to something," I confess. "He has _not_ been acting at all himself, not since we opened that tomb."

"Is there a chance any of the vampires might have escaped?" she asks, worry lacing her words.

I shake my head. "None. I counted the bodies before we burned them. Twenty-six vampires were sealed in the tomb. Pearl was set free, and twenty-five were burned to ash. That accounts for all of them," I tell her.

"Could Pearl be doing this?"

"She wouldn't gain anything from it. Pearl's actions were always about what she would gain from them. I hate to say this, but there might be a new threat in town."

"Threat to who?"

"Who has Stefan been harassing?" I retort.

Her eyes widen and she pales as she realizes exactly what I mean. "Elena. A new threat to Elena," she breathes, looking up the stairs.

"She's safe," I assure her. "I am paying close attention to every sound she makes. No vampire can get in unless they're invited. She locked her window as soon as she entered her room, so Stefan can't get in that way very easily. But if I'm right, it's a good thing I'm taking her out of town now."

"But what about after you leave?"

"Either the threat will try to follow us, which I'll be ready for, or they'll reveal themselves here. Your grandmother is a _very_ powerful witch, and you're not half bad yourself. Together, you two can handle just about anything." I pause as I suddenly think of something. "There's something you should be aware of. You're grandmother already knows about it, but I should warn you too."

"What?"

"If Elena comes to your house or your grandmother's house and insists on being invited in, _don't_ invite her. It's _not_ Elena, it's Katherine."

Bonnie narrows her eyes. "Does Katherine have a birthmark?" she asks.

"No, why?" I ask, confused by this change of topic.

"Because Elena has one on her left hip. Some might mistake it for a tattoo, considering the shape, but it's a true birthmark."

A slow grin spreads across my lips. "That's right, she told me about it. Said she's embarrassed by it. She refused to show it to me."

"I plan on simply asking her to show me her birthmark. If you explain everything to Elena, she'll agree to it. She won't _like_ it, but she'll agree," Bonnie says with a shrug. "I can talk to Grams about putting a spell on Jenna to not allow Elena in until _after_ she's seen the birthmark with her own eyes. Jeremy blocked the way into the house once and wouldn't let her in until she showed off her birthmark. And she did it, though it took half an hour of coaxing on his part. We can just tell Jeremy that he has to refuse to let her in until he sees the birthmark with his own eyes. He'll do it gladly if we tell him why."

I nod. "What about anyone else that Katherine might go to posing as Elena?" I ask.

Bonnie narrows her eyes in speculation. "Well, Rick has this sixth sense about him when it comes to the supernatural. He couldn't stop staring at me the first several classes I had with him. I could tell he was trying to figure out what was different about me. Then he placed a hand on my shoulder one day as I was leaving class, and I got what felt like an echo of how his sixth sense works. It was creepy and I don't know _how_ he can stand dealing with it all the time."

I raise an eyebrow. "A sixth sense that detects the supernatural?" I ask. "I'm not sure how to take that."

"It's not _precisely_ a detection system. It's tied in with his sense of sight. Basically he sees a very faint _glow_ that pretty much highlights supernatural beings. It's not blinding and it doesn't attract the eye, but if there's a supernatural being in his field of vision, there's a faint glow highlighting them. The type of supernatural determines the color of the glow. The vision I got was of our history class. Stefan was surrounded by a very dark red glow, almost the color of dried blood. I had a purplish glow. What was weird was that Elena had a glow, too. Her glow was pure, solid white. And it wasn't exactly a _faint_ glow either. It was like getting caught in the flash of a camera. I don't know _how_ he manages to look at her without squinting or having his eyes water."

My eyes widen in surprise. "Elena is supernatural?" I ask softly.

"I don't know if she had a glow to him because she _is_ supernatural, or because she knows of it, or if there's some other reason I can't even think of. I could see a fading sparkle around Caroline in the vision, and we both know _she's_ not supernatural. Sadly, the sparkle was faded too much to determent the color. Before I could dig any deeper into the vision, he removed his hand from my shoulder and it was gone."

I purse my lips, thinking as I listen to Elena digging through her dresser. "Well, Rick is a hunter," I tell her.

"Hunter?"

"Vampire hunter," I explain. Her mouth forms a perfect "o" as she nods in understanding. "Try to get him in on this. And find out more about that damn sixth sense of his and figure out what Elena's glow means, if possible."

"Why did a vampire hunter come to Mystic Falls?" she asks.

"To hunt down a vampire who, as far as he knows, killed his wife."

"And how do you know this?" she asks. I simply raise my eyebrow at her. She groans. "Because you're the vampire who killed his wife," she says with a sigh.

"I didn't _kill_ his wife, I simply _turned_ her. She begged me to. Make sure he knows this by the time I get back. I don't want to have to kill a potential drinking buddy."

"You're drinking buddies?" she asks in disbelief.

"Not yet," I correct. "I'd like to be, but there's the whole I-turned-his-wife issue in the air." I hold up my hand to stop Bonnie's next comment as I look up the stairs, listening hard. I can hear Jeremy back at his homework, music blaring in his ears. But I don't hear a hint of Elena. I vamp to her room. It seems to be empty, two huge suitcases lying open on her bed, both filled with her belongings. Her teddy is tucked into the side of one of the suitcases. I can smell Elena's unique scent and hear her heart beating rapidly. "Elena?" I call.

"Under the bed," she responds, voice muffled.

I vamp to the side of her bed and get down on my stomach to see her slowly wriggling something free from a compartment hidden under her bed. "What are you doing under there?" I ask, propping my head on my elbow as I watch her.

"Getting my passport, fake ID, checkbook, and debit card," she grunts. "I hide them down here because it's hell getting them out so thieves would give up after a few minutes and go after an easier target. Like the piggy bank on the dresser."

I raise an eyebrow. "Except now you need them and you're having to fight them free of your bed," I point out.

"Exactly," she agrees. "I think it's worth the pain, though. People are constantly in my room and going through my stuff. If I left these lying just anywhere, who knows where they'd be right now."

"Good point," I concede. "Why do you need your passport? I don't think we'll be leaving the country."

"Considering how much my life has changed in the past few months, I plan on being prepared for anything," she retorts. She grunts as she finally pulls her things free of the compartment, which shuts itself now that her hands aren't keeping it open. I stand up and back away from the bed so she can crawl out. She groans as she stretches out cramps earned from being in a highly uncomfortable position for so long. Then she tucks her prizes in her purse.

"There's something you should know, about my brother," I comment, leaning against the doorframe while she finishes getting the last of her things together.

"What is it I should know about Stefan?" she asks, her voice void of emotions.

"Bonnie thinks he has been under some form of compulsion since the tomb was opened, and I agree. He hasn't been himself since that day."

She looks at me in silent contemplation. "I thought vampires couldn't be compelled," she says finally.

"That's true," I agree slowly. "But think back to what I talked to you and Jeremy about earlier, about how much weaker I was on the Stefan diet. One small step up from a human, remember?"

"So, because of how he chooses to live, he may have opened himself up to being compelled by another vampire, one on human blood?" she asks.

"Crazy, I know, but we can't completely rule it out."

"But why would someone compel him?"

"Who has he been harassing since the tomb was opened?"

"Me," she realizes. "But why would they make him harass me like that?"

"Because they are a threat to you," I tell her. "Which is a very good reason to get you out of town."

"But if Stefan is under compulsion, who would take care of the town?"

"The witches will. Bonnie is going to talk to her grandmother about this theory about Stefan. Sheila may not look it but she is an _extremely_ powerful witch," I inform her. She stands in the middle of her room, completely bewildered by the theory about Stefan's change in personality. "What are you standing around for? Finish packing," I snap. She jumps, then gets back to work. I run a hand through my hair with a ragged sigh. "Look, if there really _is_ a threat to you here, getting you out of town is the best option available to us. Whoever it is may choose to follow us, and I'll make _sure_ they follow us right into a deathtrap. Or they may choose to stay here, in which case the witches and your history teacher will deal with them."

"Why bring Alaric into this?" she asks, surprised. But she doesn't stop packing. She heads into the bathroom to collect her toiletries.

"Because he is a vampire hunter," I inform her. "And before you ask, he came here to stake the supposed killer of his wife. That would be _me._ Only, as I told you, I _didn't_ kill her, I turned her."

She pokes her head out of the bathroom. "Alaric was the husband of the Isobel you turned? I thought you said you didn't know her last name," she accuses.

"I _didn't._ It wasn't until Stefan told me what _really_ happened when he got the copy of the Gilbert journal from Rick that I put two-and-two together."

"Oh," she says, ducking back into the bathroom to finish gathering her things. "So, if Rick came here to kill you, why hasn't he tried?"

"Because he's not stupid. He wants to be absolutely certain that I _am_ the one he saw the night of his wife's disappearance before making his move."

"Why don't you tell him what really happened to Isobel?"

"I _would_ except I know it will have an ugly ending. So I'm leaving that to Bonnie while we're gone. It would be a shame to have to kill such a good potential drinking buddy."

"Jeremy thinks that the journal he found isn't the only one Jonathon Gilbert wrote. From what he can make of the entries, that man kept journals his entire life."

"Really, now? And where might the rest of the collection be?"

"I have a hunch at where the other journals could be hidden, but it would mean postponing the road trip."

"_Yeah,_ not such a good idea at the moment. If no one has found them by now, it is highly unlikely that they will be found while we're gone."

"And if I'm right about the location, a vampire would have to be _invited in_ before they can even begin searching for them. And burning the place down would just burn the books as well."

I smirk. "I like the sound of that. I'm hoping that you're hunch is on target." I pause. "Bonnie reminded me about your birthmark."

She growls. _"Why_ would she do that?" she demands.

"Because it is the one physical difference between you and Katherine. And it will be the only thing protecting your family from her if she decides to show up here and pretend to be you."

She walks out of the bathroom with a shoulder bag in her hand. "How's that?" she asks.

"Katherine doesn't have _any_ birthmarks. And Bonnie intends on casting a spell on Jenna to make sure she does not invite anyone looking like you in without first seeing the birthmark with her own eyes. I plan on warning your brother before we leave. Bonnie and her grandmother know about it and will make sure to not allow 'you' in unless you show off that birthmark. Witches can't be compelled. They are tools of balance and nature, and as such tools, can't be influenced by supernatural means. Your family has their vervaine jewelry to protect them. _Rick_ has this weird sixth sense when it comes to the supernatural. Bonnie tried to explain what she got from a vision she had when he laid his hand on her shoulder, but I couldn't really follow. I just know he will _definitely_ know the difference between you and Katherine. As for anyone else she might go to posing as you, I have a feeling the witches are working out a plan for that."

She looks around her room, zips up her suitcases, and turns to me. "I'm all packed. If there's anything I'm forgetting, we can replace it on the road," she announces.

I grab her suitcases and lead her out of her room. She grabs her purse, shoulders the bag in her hand, and exits the room, shutting the door behind her.

I pause at the door to Jeremy's room. Dropping a suitcase, I open it, walk in, and yank his headphones off. He glares at me. "I'm letting you know that we're leaving now. If anyone looking like Elena shows up here, do _not_ let her in until you see her birthmark with your own two eyes. It might not be Elena. It could be Katherine. They are completely identical _except_ for that birthmark. Katherine doesn't have one."

"Gotcha," he says with a nod when I'm finished. "Katherine's the vampire bitch you thought was in the tomb but wasn't, right?" he asks.

I nod. "If she shows up and refuses to show off the birthmark, do _not_ invite her in. Call Bonnie immediately, let her know that Katherine is at your door, and _don't go outside until Bonnie or Sheila shows up._ Let the witches handle Katherine. She could kill you before you have a chance to blink. But she can't get to you inside. Vampires need an invite to enter occupied homes of any sort. Even works on apartments, but _not_ on dorms unless it's a sorority or fraternity house. Never understood that, but I stopped questioning those kinds of things a long time ago."

"What about Jenna?" he asks, obviously worried.

"The witches are working on a spell to put on her to make sure she follows those same rules. And they _are_ rules. Rules that could cost both your life _and_ Jenna's life if you break them. Also, if Katherine shows up, get your girlfriend Anna over here. She _never_ liked Katherine. She only put up with her because Katherine and Pearl were best friends. She'll also be able to get over here long before the witches."

"Anna can stay in my room, if she wants," Elena says from the doorway. I glance at her just as her lips curl in a wicked smile. "But she'd probably be spending more time in your room than mine."

Jeremy blushes. "Right, so if Katherine pops up, contact Bonnie and Anna immediately," he repeats my instructions. "Confirm that it's Katherine by asking to see Elena's birthmark. Got it."

I nod, exit his room, and grab the suitcase I had set down. "I'll miss you, Jer. Be careful not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone," Elena says.

"I'll miss you, too, Lena. Be careful on the road."

"Will do," she says, shutting his door.

We exit the house, Elena locking the front door behind us, and make our way to my car. I pack Elena's things into the trunk alongside my stuff and slam it shut while she hops in the passenger seat. I vamp into the driver's seat, start the car, and proceed to put Mystic Falls in the rearview mirror.

Once on the highway, I glance over at Elena. Her hair is whipping wildly in the wind since the roof is down. "We'll start in New York City," I tell her over the wind.

"Why?" she asks.

"I spent most of the seventies there. I know a vampire, Will, who owns a bar there. But that's just a front for his _real_ business. He makes most of his money by making fake IDs for vampires. I used to be one of the vamps who procured the IDs for him. He asked me to get an awful lot of IDs from five foot seven brunette females. I never questioned it at the time, but now I have to wonder if maybe he was making fake IDs for Katherine. I'll get the information out of him any way I have to. Then I'll have him cough up Katherine's latest address and we'll pick up the hunt after spending a bit of time in the city. I am _not_ going to have this trip focused solely on Katherine, no matter how badly I want to hunt her down."

"So you'd actually put off finding Katherine just to make sure I was enjoying myself?" she asks in surprise.

"Of course. We will find Katherine eventually, I promise you that. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the sights while we're at it. In fact, I'll put off going to Will's bar until we decide to put the city in the rearview. I plan on making _certain_ you enjoy this road trip just as much as you enjoyed the one to Georgia."

"I just hope we don't have a repeat of my having to save your ass from some crazy vampire that has a grudge against you."

"I hope so, too. That guy cost me my favorite shirt!"

"You have a _ton_ of shirts just like it. How can you tell them apart?"

"A skill I picked up over the years. I know every article of clothing I own. That guy ruined ten thousand dollars in designer clothes."

I can almost _hear_ her eyes rolling in her head, though I keep my eyes on the road. "You spend _way_ too much money on your wardrobe," she teases.

I chuckle. "What can I say? I'm very particular about what I wear," I reply. "Now, how about a game of license plate bingo?" I ask.

"Sounds fun," she agrees. "Let's make it difficult by going through the states in order of statehood."

I laugh in agreement, knowing that we are going to have a blast on this road trip. I might even consider giving up on finding Katherine. Elena is a _thousand_ times better than Katherine ever was. I know instinctively that Elena would _never_ willingly hurt me the way my sire had. Maybe, while I help Elena get over my brother, she can help me get over Katherine. For the first time in my life, I feel a genuine smile spread across my lips as I begin to look forward to what's around the next bend in the road called life.

"Delaware," she calls out, pointing to the car passing us.

"Pennsylvania," I cry immediately after, motioning to the car in front of the one she called out.

"What will we do when we get to Hawaii?" she asks, flashing me a grin.

"You've got forty-seven plates between now and then, Elena," I remind her. "Focus on the state we are looking for _now."_

She chuckles and we return to searching license plates. I always knew that Elena is _not_ the worst company in the world. She's actually one of the best people I've spent time with. She might even be _the_ best.

Sarah: I am _not_ sorry about the length of this chapter. My muse wouldn't shut up until now, but I think I like how it turned out.


End file.
